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ALLEN PARK: The Detroit Lions’ difficulty against mobile quarterbacks or ones with demonstrated elusiveness in the pocket has been a reoccurring topic this season. Whether playing Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City, Geno Smith of Seattle, Lamar Jackson of Baltimore, or Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers last week, the Lions’ defense has struggled to apply pressure, recording only one sack in four games.

The Lions hope to change this pattern this Sunday when they visit Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Fields returns to the field after missing the previous four games due to a dislocated thumb, against a Lions squad that has been a source of aggravation for him (and vice versa) over the past two seasons.

The Bears are 1-2 in games with Fields as the starter over the last two seasons, with their lone victory coming in Week 4 of his rookie season.

Despite the fact that the team lost both games against the Lions last season, Fields had a huge impact on the defense. He had 23 carries for 279 yards and two touchdowns in both games, averaging 12.1 yards per carry. Fields finished the season with 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns on the run.

“Man, he’s versatile, man,” Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs said, according to MLive. “Most quarterbacks are pocket passers and such, but some of ’em don’t like to get out or run because they want to protect their body, but he likes to do it all.” He enjoys standing in the pocket and throwing. He enjoys getting out of the pocket and throwing. He enjoys running. So we simply have to contain him, stick to the game plan that our AG (Aaron Glenn) provided us this week, and execute at a high level.”

Recognizing Fields’ difficulty, Lions safety Tracy Walker III underlined the importance of both him and the secondary handling their business by properly matching up in coverage. The dominant theme in the locker room is that the front seven must ensure they get home while maintaining gap integrity.

“We’ve got to be tight in coverage, and we’ve got to execute our jobs on every phase,” Walker said in a statement. “As I said, our front seven has to handle it, contain the quarterback, and do what they’re supposed to do upfront.” And we need to make plays on the back end of the ball.

Both Jacobs and Walker are keeping a tight eye on Fields, underlining the importance of slowing him down. However, the latter also concedes that Fields isn’t the Bears’ only threat.

Walker singles out Darnell Mooney, DJ Moore, and Cole Kmet as possible threats to the Lions’ defense, as well as running back D’Onta Foreman. He adds that the Bears’ attack is not centered on a single player, making it difficult for the Lions to focus on a single man.

“They have a good offense, and we have to respect them accordingly,” Walker went on to say. “And we can’t just go play them based on their (3-7) record.” We have to go out there and play like a hungry team striving to fight and succeed. What better way to start than by taking out the division leaders right now? In their minds, they believe they can win.”